PowerAdvocate Terms of Use (Version: January 19, 2010)

READ THESE TERMS OF USE CAREFULLY BEFORE USING THE SITE. BY USING OR ACCESSING THE SITE, YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT YOU HAVE READ, ACCEPT, AND AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THESE TERMS OF USE.

  1. Background
    2.

    Your use of www.poweradvocate.com (the “Site”) is governed by these PowerAdvocate Terms of Use (“Terms of Use” or “Agreement”). The password-protected areas of the Site allows individuals or entities with registered Users (as defined below) to access and use the PowerAdvocate Energy Intelligence Platform. Your use of the Energy Intelligence Platform (or any of the individual products that comprise the Energy Intelligence Platform – Spend Intelligence, Cost Intelligence, Market Intelligence and Sourcing Intelligence as of the date hereof) is governed by these Terms of Use and by any license, subscription or other applicable written contract entered into by you or by the Participating Company (as defined below) for which you are a User. A “Participating Company” is an individual or a legal entity that has Users that have registered to participate on the Energy Intelligence Platform. The employees or authorized agents of a Participating Company are referred to as “Users.” A Participating Company submitting information on, or bids or other offers to sell, goods or services (including any entity acting as a representative or agent for another) on Sourcing Intelligence is referred to as a “Supplier Company.” A Participating Company posting a request on the Sourcing Intelligence, or otherwise requesting or collecting information on, or receiving bids or offers for the purchase of, goods or services from Supplier Companies is referred to as a “Buyer Company.” Except as expressly stated otherwise, all terms apply equally to Supplier Companies and to Buyer Companies.

  2. Registration
    3.

    Each User must register on the Site before Users are authorized to participate on the Energy Intelligence Platform.

  3. User Names and Passwords
    4.

    Each User will be issued a unique user name and password upon registration. Each Participating Company agrees to take all reasonable precautions to maintain as confidential the user names and passwords of its Users. Each Participating Company agrees not to provide access to the Energy Intelligence Platform to any persons other than authorized Users through use of their user names or passwords and to notify PowerAdvocate upon becoming aware of any loss or theft of a user name or password or an unauthorized use of the Energy Intelligence Platform or a user name or password. A Participating Company will be responsible for all use of its user names and passwords by any person or entity. At is sole discretion and at any time, PowerAdvocate may disable one or more user names or passwords or otherwise deny a User access to the Energy Intelligence Platform.

  4. PowerAdvocate’s Role
    5.

    PowerAdvocate may be involved on the Site in many ways, including by assisting a Buyer Company with the preparation and posting of a request for proposals on Sourcing Intelligence, by promoting Supplier Company participation, and by facilitating Participating Company use of the Energy Intelligence Platform through helpdesk services. PowerAdvocate will not take title to, or otherwise have any liability for, any products or services sold or offered for sale on the Site, and each Participating Company hereby releases PowerAdvocate from any such liability. PowerAdvocate is not responsible for any material posted on the Site by a Participating Company. PowerAdvocate has no obligation to monitor the content on the Site. PowerAdvocate has the right, but not the obligation, to remove any material posted on the Site, including any material that is alleged to violate an intellectual property right (whether or not the allegation proves accurate) or that may violate these Terms of Use or applicable laws.

  5. Participating Company’s Role
    6.

    Each Participating Company is responsible for all activities carried out on the Energy Intelligence Platform by its Users, and ensuring that each of its Users abides by the Terms of Use, as they are amended from time to time and appear on the Site. All Users must be employees or authorized agents of a Participating Company and authorized by that Participating Company to conduct business on the Energy Intelligence Platform. A Participating Company shall inform PowerAdvocate immediately of any change in a User’s status that affects that User’s right to use the Energy Intelligence Platform. Should a Participating Company fail to do so, that Participating Company will continue to be responsible for all the User’s activities on the Energy Intelligence Platform. The applicable Buyer Companies and Supplier Companies are responsible for determining the final terms and conditions between them with respect to a purchase and sale of goods or services arising out of their use of Sourcing Intelligence, including pricing, warranties, logistics, transportation, and inspection as required. If a Buyer Company elects to purchase any goods or services, that Buyer Company and the successful Supplier Company(s) will enter into any contracts they deem necessary and PowerAdvocate will not be a party thereto. You and each Participating Company warrant and covenant that its Contact Information (as defined in paragraph 9), its posting of any materials on the Site, and its other uses of and activities on the Site do not and shall not: (a) infringe any third party’s copyright, patent, trademark, trade secret or other intellectual property rights, or other proprietary rights or rights of publicity or privacy; (b) violate any law, statute, ordinance or regulation (including, without limitation, those governing export control, unfair competition, deceptive trade practices, and false advertising); or (c) constitute activities that are scandalous, deceptive, inaccurate, misleading, defamatory, libelous, obscene, harassing or threatening. You and each Participating Company will comply with all applicable laws, statutes, ordinances and regulations regarding its use of the Site, and regarding its ordering of, bidding on or purchase of goods and services, and its posting and retrieval of information, on or through the Site. Access to the Site by means of screen scrapers, web crawlers or similar methods is prohibited. Any Supplier Company acting as a representative or agent for another Supplier Company (e.g., a manufacturer’s representative) acknowledges and agrees that these Terms of Use are intended to bind itself and the Supplier Company that it represents. Each Participating Company represents and warrants that it has all necessary right, title and interest to enter into this Agreement and to perform its obligations under this Agreement and, in the case of a Supplier Company acting as a representative for another Supplier Company, that it has the power to bind that other Supplier Company to these Terms of Use.

  6. Third Party Links
    7.

    The Site may contain links to third-party web sites not under the control or operation of PowerAdvocate. PowerAdvocate does not endorse these third-party web sites, and is not responsible for the contents of any linked site or any link contained in a linked site. You may provide a hypertext link to the Site on another web site, so long as such link is done in good taste and does not create the false appearance that PowerAdvocate is associated with or sponsoring the linking web site. The use of techniques to frame the Site within a third-party web site is not permitted under this Agreement. PowerAdvocate reserves the right to revoke its consent to any link at any time in PowerAdvocate’s sole discretion.

  7. Warranties and Limitations of Liability
    8.

    THE SITE IS PROVIDED ON AN “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE” BASIS. POWERADVOCATE MAKES NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, WITH RESPECT TO: THE SITE; ANY GOODS, SERVICES OR INFORMATION OFFERED ON OR THROUGH THE SITE; ANY BID EVENTS THAT MAY BE CONDUCTED ON OR THROUGH SOURCING INTELLIGENCE, INCLUDING (i) THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT, (ii) THAT THE SITE OR THE INTERNET WILL MEET ANY PARTICULAR REQUIREMENTS, WILL BE AVAILABLE, ACCESSIBLE, UNINTERRUPTED, TIMELY, ACCURATE, SECURE OR OPERATE WITHOUT ERROR, AND (iii) ANY IMPLIED WARRANTY ARISING FROM COURSE OF DEALING OR USAGE OF TRADE. POWERADVOCATE MAKES NO REPRESENTATION OR WARRANTY AS TO THE CREDITWORTHINESS, TRUSTWORTHINESS AND ACCEPTABILITY OF ANY PARTICIPATING COMPANIES OR TO THE QUALITY, SUITABILITY, OR CONDITIONS OF GOODS AND SERVICES PROCURED FROM OR THROUGH ANY PARTICIPATING COMPANIES. ANY FORECASTS OR OTHER FORWARD-LOOKING PROJECTIONS OR TRENDS CONTAINED ON THE SITE ARE NOT GUARANTEES OF ACTUAL FUTURE CONDITIONS. ACTUAL FUTURE CONDITIONS MAY DIFFER MATERIALLY FROM WHAT IS FORECAST OR ESTIMATED ON THE SITE DUE TO A VARIETY OF FACTORS THAT COULD INCLUDE CHANGING SUPPLY AND DEMAND CONDITIONS, CHANGING GLOBAL OR NATIONAL ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE, LABOR ISSUES, SHIPPING AND TRANSPORTATION ISSUES, PRODUCTION MISTAKES, OR FORCE MAJEURE EVENTS. TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMISSIBLE UNDER APPLICABLE LAW, POWERADVOCATE AND ITS SUBSIDIARIES AND AFFILIATES, AND THEIR RESPECTIVE EMPLOYEES, DIRECTORS, AND AGENTS, WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES OF ANY KIND WHATSOEVER, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY AND ALL DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, PUNITIVE AND CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION FOR LOST PROFITS, REVENUES OR DATA), ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SITE, USAGE OF THE SITE, OR THOSE RESULTING FROM ANY GOODS OR SERVICES PURCHASED OR OBTAINED OR MESSAGES RECEIVED THROUGH, OR TRANSACTIONS ENTERED INTO AS A RESULT OF USING THE SITE. THE LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY PROVIDED IN THESE TERMS OF USE INURE TO THE BENEFIT OF POWERADVOCATE, AND ITS SUBSIDIARIES AND AFFILIATES, AND THEIR RESPECTIVE OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, ATTORNEYS AND AGENTS. IN THE EVENT THAT A PARTICIPATING COMPANY HAS A DISPUTE WITH ANOTHER PARTICIPATING COMPANY, BOTH SUCH PARTICIPATING COMPANIES HEREBY RELEASE POWERADVOCATE, AND ITS SUBSIDIARIES AND AFFILIATES, AND THEIR RESPECTIVE OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, ATTORNEYS AND AGENTS, FROM ALL CLAIMS, LOSSES, LIABILITIES, DEMANDS, AND DAMAGES OF EVERY KIND AND NATURE (DIRECT, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, PUNITIVE, CONSEQUENTIAL OR OTHERWISE) ARISING OUT OF OR IN ANY WAY CONNECTED WITH SUCH DISPUTE.

  8. Confidential Information
    9.

    PowerAdvocate recognizes the importance of protecting confidential and proprietary information collected or posted on the Energy Intelligence Platform and of not disclosing such information to unauthorized third parties. As such, PowerAdvocate enters into confidentiality agreements with PowerAdvocate customers that contain PowerAdvocate’s sole obligations concerning the treatment of confidential or proprietary information collected or posted by that customer on the Site.

  9. Intellectual Property
    10.

    “PowerAdvocate” (alone and together with the three rings) is a registered trademark of Power Advocate, Inc. In addition, “Energy Intelligence Platform,” “Spend Intelligence”, “Cost Intelligence”, “Market Intelligence”, and “Sourcing Intelligence” are trademarks or service marks of Power Advocate, Inc. Unless otherwise noted on the Site, all other trademarks, service marks, and logos used in this Site are the trademarks, service marks or logos of their respective owners. All ownership rights -- including all right, title, and interest in all patents, copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets and other intellectual property rights -- in the Site, including any software associated with the operation or functioning of the Site, are and will remain in PowerAdvocate or its licensors. You and each Participating Company will not undertake to copyright, trademark or patent the Site, or any portion thereof. You and each Participating Company acknowledge that all or portions of the Site (including the software and methodologies associated with the operation or functioning of the Energy Intelligence Platform) may be copyrighted, trademarked or patented by PowerAdvocate or another party. You and each Participating Company acknowledge that no such act will cause or be construed as causing any portion of the Energy Intelligence Platform to be in the public domain. You and each Participating Company will not, and will not attempt to, modify, reverse engineer, disassemble or decompile the Site, or permit or cause any third party to do so on your behalf. Any changes, advice, modifications or evaluations of or concerning the Site generated or proposed by any party will be the exclusive property of PowerAdvocate and will not give any one other than PowerAdvocate any right, title or interest in or to the Site. All ideas, concepts, know-how or techniques relating to the use, operation or functioning of the Site will be the exclusive property of PowerAdvocate or PowerAdvocate’s licensors. You and each Participating Company are granted only a limited, revocable, non-transferable license to print and download portions of any materials created by PowerAdvocate (“PowerAdvocate Materials”) and posted on the Site solely for internal, non-commercial use, provided that any copyright notice and any other notices that appear on any such copies are maintained and unmodified. Any other use, copying, redistribution, publication, or retransmission of any portion of any PowerAdvocate Materials on the Site is strictly prohibited without the express written permission of PowerAdvocate. All PowerAdvocate Materials on the Site are, and shall continue to be, owned by PowerAdvocate. Each Participating Company shall also maintain any copyright notice and any other notices that appear on any materials created by any third party and posted on the Site. PowerAdvocate retains all rights to any data, modules, components, designs, utilities, subsets, objects, program listings, tools, models, methodologies, programs, systems, analysis frameworks, leading practices (“Technical Elements”) owned or developed by PowerAdvocate prior to, or independently from, the provision of the Site (and any modifications or enhancements to PowerAdvocate’s Technical Elements developed in the course of providing the Site) (collectively, “PowerAdvocate Technical Elements”) and PowerAdvocate retains exclusive ownership rights to all PowerAdvocate Technical Elements. PowerAdvocate retains all rights to its knowledge, experience and know-how (including processes, ideas, concepts and techniques) acquired in the course of providing the Site, and, subject to the confidentiality obligations in the separate contracts referenced in Section 8, you and each Participating Company hereby grant to PowerAdvocate a perpetual, worldwide, paid-up license to use, copy, modify and/or sublicense, in the course of PowerAdvocate’s business, any Technical Elements acquired or developed as a result of providing the Site.

  10. Contact Information
    11.

    “Contact Information” shall mean any and all contact information (name, address, phone numbers, email address) that you provide to PowerAdvocate during registration for the Energy Intelligence Platform or during any other use of the Site. During registration, you shall provide -- and Participating Company shall ensure that its Users provide -- true, accurate, current and complete Contact Information. During registration or any other use of the Site that collects Contact Information, you will ensure that all Contact Information is office or home office contact information and is not private home contact information. PowerAdvocate uses the Contact Information in furtherance of, and consistent with, the Site and otherwise in its normal course of business. By providing your Contact Information, you provide your consent to PowerAdvocate’s contacting you by email or telephone in its normal course of business, including to determine your interest in any PowerAdvocate offerings.

  11. Governing Law and Jurisdiction
    12.

    This Agreement shall be deemed to have been made and performed entirely in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and shall be governed by and construed pursuant to the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts without regard to its provisions regarding the conflicts of laws. You and each Participating Company and PowerAdvocate hereby agree the state and federal courts of Massachusetts shall be the exclusive forum and venue to resolve disputes involving PowerAdvocate and arising out of or relating to these Terms of Use or any use of the Site. By using the Site and thereby agreeing to these Terms of Use, you and each Participating Company consent to personal jurisdiction and venue in the state and federal courts in Massachusetts with respect to all such disputes.

  12. Amendment
    13.

    PowerAdvocate may modify this Agreement from time to time by posting the modified Agreement on the Site. Any use of the Site after the posting of the modified Agreement constitutes that user’s and that Participating Company’s agreement to be bound by such modified version of this Agreement. PowerAdvocate reserves the right to change the Site at its discretion at any time. PowerAdvocate may add or remove features, services or otherwise modify the Site, all without any liability whatsoever.

  13. Order of Precedence
    14.

    THESE TERMS OF USE SHALL NOT ALTER OR OVERRIDE ANY CONFLICTING TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF ANY OTHER WRITTEN CONTRACT THAT YOU OR A PARTICIPATING COMPANY MAY HAVE WITH POWERADVOCATE OR WITH ANOTHER PARTICIPATING COMPANY. In the event of any conflicting terms under a written contract signed by you or a Participating Company with PowerAdvocate and these Terms of Use, the terms of the written contract will prevail over the conflicting terms in these Terms of Use.

  14. Miscellaneous
    15.

    Any notice, report, approval, or consent required or permitted under this Agreement shall be in writing and in the English language. Notices to PowerAdvocate may be sent to Power Advocate, Inc., 179 Lincoln Street, Boston, MA 02111, Facsimile: 857-453-5656, Attention: Daniel P. Sullivan. No failure or delay in exercising any right under this Agreement will operate as a waiver thereof, nor will any partial exercise of any right or power under this Agreement preclude further exercise. If any provision of this Agreement is unenforceable or invalid, that provision shall be limited or eliminated to the minimum extent necessary so that this Agreement shall otherwise remain in full force and effect and enforceable. For all purposes under this Agreement, each party shall be and act as an independent contractor of the other and shall not bind nor attempt to bind the other to any contract with third-parties. No agency, partnership, joint venture, employee-employer, or franchisor-franchisee relationship is intended nor created by this Agreement.